Larkspur Ferry Parking - Frequently Asked Questions

Parking Program Begins Monday, February 3, 2014

General Program Information

When does the parking program begin?
The new parking program began Monday, February 3, 2014. Customers are required to pay for parking at 5:00 a.m. on February 3. Read our handy brochure.

What is Parkmobile?
Parkmobile is a leading provider of integrated parking and payment systems, and has been validated compliant as a Level 1 Service Provider by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council.

Note: The Parkmobile systems for paying the daily fee and purchasing the monthly permit and accounts created in each are completely separate.

What is the Parkmobile Zone Number for Larkspur Ferry Terminal?
The Parkmobile Zone Number for the entire Larkspur Terminal lot is 111.

Do HOV, disabled, or motorcycles have to pay for parking?
Yes, all spaces in the Larkspur Terminal parking lot are subject to the parking fee. Motorcycles may only park in designaged motorcycle spaces. Violators will be subject to tow.

How about vehicles with government or commercial plates - do they vehicles have to pay for parking?
Yes, all vehicles are subject to the parking fee. There are no exceptions.

What if I have a "special interest" license plate – ie, Veteran, Tahoe, Memorial, Coastal, Kids (hand, heart, star), how do I enter this plate information?
With special interest license plates, you should omit all images and graphics and use just the alphanumeric characters of the license plate.

Can I use my employer-sponsored parking benefits like WageWorks and Commuter Check to pay for parking at Larkspur Ferry?
Yes. Funds from your employer's pre-tax parking benefit program can be used to pay your parking fee. Note: "parking benefits" are different from "transit benefits."

If your parking benefit comes in the form of paper checks or vouchers, these must be submitted via mail to pay for your monthly parking permit (paper vouchers are not valid for daily parking fee). Mail paper voucher(s), along with your name, address, email address, and phone number, to GGBHTD, Attn: Ferry Parking, 850 Tamalpais Ave, San Rafael, CA 94901. To ensure permits are valid at the beginning of the month, vouchers must be postmarked by the 23rd of the previous month to allow for processing.

Can I register more than one car on my account?
Yes, you may register up to five vehicles on your account but only one vehicle is valid on any given day.

For multi-vehicle households or carpoolers who share a monthly permit, if more than one vehicle needs to be parked in the lot at one time, a valid monthly permit is needed for each vehicle.

I've paid for my parking. What now?
The parking system is all electronic. You do not have to place any placards or receipts in your windshield or on your dash.

If I arrive at the lot after 3:00 p.m, and I am parked there until 6:00 a.m. the next morning, do I need to pay the parking fee?
Yes. If your car is parked in the lot at any time between 5:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m, you are responsible for the parking fee for that calendar day.

If I arrive at the lot at 1:00 p.m. and pay the daily fee, and remain parked in the lot overnight until 8:00 a.m. the next morning, do I need to pay an additional parking fee?
Yes. Daily parking fees are for calendar days and not for a 24-hour period. If you are parked in the lot overnight, you are responsible for paying the fee for both days.

Can I park at the Larkspur Ferry Terminal for a couple of days?
No. Vehicles may not be parked in the lot continuously for more than 24 hours. This also applies to customers with monthly permits. Vehicles must vacate the parking lot within 24 hours. Overnight parking will be enforced. Violators are subject to ticketing and towing.

What forms of payment are accepted?
For daily parking fees, Visa, Mastercard, Discover, PayPal, Parkmobile Wallet, non-pin debit cards, and employer-sponsored parking benefit debit cards (for example, WageWorks, Commuter Check, etc.) are acceptable forms of payment. If your employer-sponsored parking benefit comes in the form of a paper check or voucher, these are not accepted for daily parking fees.

I don’t have license plates on my car yet. How do I register and pay?
You can pay using the stall number in which your vehicle is parked for that day. If you are a monthly permit holder, you can use the stall number in which you are parked each day OR the last 4 digits of your VIN number, preceded by "VIN," in place of the license plate number. For example, you would enter VIN1234.

Can I park an RV in the lot?
No. The Ferry Terminal parking lot cannot accommodate recreational vehicles.

The parking lot is full. Where else can I park?
If the Larkspur Terminal lot is full, customers may park at the Marin Airporter upper lot, located across the street at 300 Larkspur Landing Circle. NOTE: the number of available parking spaces at the Marin Airporter location is extremely limited. The $2 fee (payable to the Airporter attendant when departing the Airporter lot) applies to all Larkspur Ferry customers, including monthly permit holders.

Daily Parking

What is the Parkmobile Zone Number for Larkspur Ferry Terminal?
The Parkmobile Zone Number for the entire Larkspur Terminal lot is 111.

When I use the Parkmobile app to initiate a parking session, what does "Time Remaining" mean?
When using the Parkmobile app to pay your parking fee, "Time Remaining"
counts down to 3:00 p.m. (actually, 02:59:59 p.m.) when a parking fee is no longer required.

Can I prepay my daily parking fee a day or two ahead of my parking date?
No, you cannot prepay your parking fee. However, you can pay your fee as early as 3:00 a.m. of the day you will be parking in the lot.

I forgot to pay my parking fee this morning. It is 5:00 p.m. now, can I still pay?
No. The system will not allow you to pay the fee for that day after 3:00 p.m. You may pay your daily fee up to 2:59 p.m. only.

Do I have to display anything in my vehicle to show that I've paid?
No. The system is all electronic.
You do not have to place any placards or receipts in your windshield or on your dash.

Am I guaranteed a parking space if I buy a monthly permit?
No. Monthly permit holders are not guaranteed a space. All parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
If the Larkspur Terminal lot is full, customers may park at the Marin Airporter upper lot, located across the street at 300 Larkspur Landing Circle. The Airporter's $2 fee (usually $4) – payable to the Airporter attendant when departing the Airporter lot – applies to all Larkspur Ferry customers, including monthly permit holders. NOTE: the number of available parking spaces at the Marin Airporter location is extremely limited.

Are monthly permits based on a 30-day rolling calendar?
No. Monthly permits are based on calendar months. When purchasing a monthly permit for the current month, please be sure to select the current month as the default is always the next month.

If I've paid a daily parking fee in the past and now I want to purchase a monthly permit, can I use my same Parkmobile account?No. The Parkmobile monthly and daily payment systems are completely separate.

If I terminate my monthly permit prior to the end of the month, will I receive a prorated refund?
No, refunds will not be given.

Can I get my monthly permit renewed automatically?
Yes. There are options for auto renew and auto pay. If you opt to auto renew a monthly permit, you will receive an email on the 25th of the month reminding you to pay for the next month's permit. If you opt to auto pay the permit, you will be charged on the 25th day of the month for the following month's permit.

Can I buy permits for multiple months?
Yes. You may buy permits for two months (current and subsequent months). See question above about automatically renewing and/or paying for your monthly permit. When purchasing a monthly permit for the current month, please be sure to select the current month as the default is always the next month.

What if I'll be away for a month or two, can I disable my monthly permit?
Yes,
if you know you'll be away and won't be parking at the Larkspur Terminal lot, you will need to login to your online account and disable the auto renew and auto pay features of your permit. Please note: permits are issued for calendar months.

Do I have to print out something and display it in my vehicle for the monthly pass?
No printing of any hardcopy permits or placards is necessary. The system is all electronic.

Enforcement

What is the fine for not paying the parking fee?
The fine for a non-payment violation is $45.

Whom do I contact to dispute a parking ticket?
If you receive a parking ticket, you should contact DataTicket at www.citationprocessingcenter.com or 1-800-989-2058.

If I receive a parking ticket and then purchase a monthly permit, do I still need to pay the fine?
Yes, you will need to pay the fine. There is no retroactivity when purchasing a monthly permit.

Note: the Larkspur Ferry Terminal employee parking lot is for employees only. Unauthorized vehicles parked in this lot will be subject to tow.

Alternatives to Single-occupant Driving to the Larkspur Terminal

I don't want to drive to the Terminal. What alternatives do I have?
There are alternates to driving to the Larkspur Ferry Terminal:

The Wave (Route 25) is a free ferry shuttle that operates along Sir Francis Drake Blvd between Fairfax/Manor and the Larkspur Ferry Terminal during the morning and afternoon/evening commute hours. See Route 25 timetables HERE. Read more about the shuttle HERE.

Bicycles are welcome on board all GGF vessels on a first-come, first-served basis. In addition, the Larkspur Terminal has bike parking for up 140 bikes, including 80 secure bike spaces inside the paid waiting area and 60 bike spaces outside the waiting area. For more info, visit our Bikes & Ferry page.

I would like to share the cost of parking at Larkspur. What are my options?
Customers wishing to share the cost of parking have these options:

You can carpool. The Larkspur Terminal parking lot has 30 reserved spaces for carpoolers (1 driver plus at least 1 passenger) in Rows F and G and along the inner perimeter lane adjacent to motorcycle parking. These carpool spaces are subject to the parking fee. Carpoolers may add up to 5 license plates on a monthly permit account, but only 1 license plate is valid on any given weekday.

Ridesharing matches drivers and riders to share rides and share the cost. The smartphone app is easy to use. Read more HERE.